Redbaran Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 So I figure what better idea for a first post in a new forum than suggestions on what would be a good first jig to make. What jig have you found most useful across projects? I'm thinking that a crosscut sled would be useful, and this seems like a great plan: http://www.woodsmith...rosscutsled.pdf What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMR Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 What do you guys think? Thanks RB, I saw that on the show and wanted to find the plan for it, saved and filed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan S Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 A crosscut sled is a great first jig. Imo the sled you linked to is trying to me to much of a multitasker. Imo what you want is a sled with 2 runners and a simple back fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 A crosscut sled is a great first jig. Imo the sled you linked to is trying to me to much of a multitasker. Imo what you want is a sled with 2 runners and a simple back fence. Add a panel sled and a miter sled and you've pretty much got my three required jigs for any tablesaw... My current one is based very loosely on one from Wood magazine a couple of years back. It has a plexiglass guard that runs along above where the blade runs to stop chips and serves as a reminder of where not to put your hands. I also added a box behind the back of the slide where the blade runs when you complete a cut that the plexiglass continues over. This way, if you are nibbling out a dado or something and you need to have the top of the blade arc right at the back of the slide, your fingers can get nowhere near the blade as it comes out the back of the sled and you can still see where the blade is at all times. It's starting to get a little ratty though. MIght have to make a new one soon, the new version may have t-track on it. I like the track on the plan you have. I have a couple of other ideas too that I may want to try out. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryangel69 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I build crosscut sled for every new table saw I buy. It has always been a staple jig for me. It is never more complex than the one David Marks uses in Woodworks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I'm a big fan of the crosscut sled, but as you can see from your post there are several ways to skin the crosscut cat. I'd suggest build a simple one first. Use it for a while. Discover what you like, what you don't like. Then if after that you want to go for a full featured sled, hey go crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbarton22 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 I found the second jig I needed was a miter spline jig. Mine is an adaption of the version shown in David Mark's shop. Much like the cross cut sled, there are several approaches to this. IMO, it really depends on the type of projects you are working on. For instance, if you are cutting splines into picture frames, you need lots of vertical support. If you are splining boxes, you need more horizontal support. As a novice, I really enjoy making jigs. It puts more projects under my belt....giving me confidence in my tools and skills as well as practicing the reverse engineering required in all woodwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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